The alleged suicide attempt by state witness Melvyn Theuma shows interesting timing. The incident happened just after the Court had ordered the terms of Melvyn Theuma’s pardon to be revealed. It also happened just before Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers were about to question him in court about a tape that he had never mentioned, where it is suggested that former Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar took a bribe of €30,000 to push for a pardon for Theuma. So who was to gain most from Melvyn Theuma’s suicide? Did he decide to commit suicide, or could there also be the possibility that he was pressured to do it?
The alleged attempted suicide also begs the question: is the witness’s lawyer the only person available to provide moral and psychological support to a state witness? Theuma’s recent testimony in court about hislife finishing with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death and otherstatements, may have indicated some form of psychological stress. Has a psychiatric team ever been detailed to him?
This incident raises many questions, and requires just as many quick answers. Some of these are the following:
What security is being provided for the judges, lawyers, police, witnesses on this case? Shouldn’t they be entitled to the sort of escort provided to key people in anti-mafia trials, given the national importance of what is being revealed?
Who is going to look into this new episode? Although we found today’s press conference informative, it will take much more for us to overcome our scepticism over the conduct of the police in this case. Our Malta Police is certainly conscious of the fact that it has a grim record in cases like these, having failed so miserably in the past to keep key people alive. Despite Police Commissioner Gafà’s explanation that Europol itself does not want to proceed to a Joint Investigative team, we maintain that the corruption allegations emerging from the testimonies go well beyond national interest, and so our plea for a joint investigative team remains. Morever, could there not be collaboration with a single country, such as asking for help from Italian expert anti-mafia investigators, given the mafia-like deals that are slowly emerging?
Who is going to supply us with answers? The Police? Our Prime Minister? Let us not forget that prime figures suspected of involvement in corrupt affairs, such as Keith Schembri and our disgraced Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, have never undergone any proper inquiry and roam free to this very day. The fight for truth to come out and justice to be delivered must continue.